Ethan Stowell Named One Of U.S. Top Chefs

It’s been a great couple weeks for Ethan Stowell. First he was named a finalist for a James Beard Award, known as the Oscars of the food world. Now he’s won what’s probably the other most prestigious nod he could get: Food & Wine magazine has named Stowell one of its Best New Chefs in the U.S. Past Seattleites on that short list include Jason Wilson of Crush and Maria Hines of Tilth (both of whom were Beard nominees this year along with Stowell), as well as Matt Dillon of Sitka and Spruce.

Stowell just squeaked under the requirements to make the cut; the award is restricted to restaurateurs who have been in charge of a kitchen five years or less. Chefs are chosen, the magazine said, as part of a six-month selection process involving “trusted restaurant critics and food writers around the country” (that would include yours truly) to identify outstanding chefs, and then having the magazine editors travel incognito to taste the food. I (and, I’m sure, others) recommended the editors give Stowell a look, not just for his prize-worthy cooking and his admirable attention to ingredients, which would have been qualification enough, but also for his rare talent for creating diverse and successful restaurants here.

A fact we didn’t know about Stowell, from the F&W list: “Stowell owns over 600 cookbooks and claims to have read them all.” Read more about him and the other anointed superstars here.